COVINGTON, Ga. — Newton County commissioners have approved an intergovernmental agreement with Covington for funding of the city’s annual Fourth of July fireworks show.
The county will provide $10,000 — the amount it also approved in 2021 — toward the event after the Board of Commissioners voted 3-1 with one abstention for the agreement with the city.
Covington officials will use the funds to hire the nonprofit Friends of Covington Fireworks Inc., to do the annual fireworks show over the city’s downtown area.
Newton County’s donation caused some controversy in 2021 when it approved the Fourth of July funds but rescinded a $1,500 donation to the Newton Historical Committee on Black Heritage Preservation amid some commissioners’ concerns that a direct donation to the nonprofit would violate a state constitutional ban on gratuities.
The donation would have gone towards organizing the nonprofit’s annual Juneteenth celebration in 2021.
Some commissioners later objected when they said Juneteenth should be given the same priority for funding as the fireworks show.
Following the rescission, the Board approved a new county policy to regulate donations to nonprofits, including a requirement that nonprofits must apply for the money they receive.
At the Board’s April 19 meeting, Commissioner Alana Sanders said she abstained from the vote because she had the same concern about no money being reserved for the Historical Committee for its Juneteenth celebration.
However, Commissioner Demond Mason and others noted the Board was considering an intergovernmental agreement and not a donation to a nonprofit.
Mason said the Board also had approved an IGA with Covington for funds to repair a nonprofit homeless shelter’s roof following a tornado in recent years.
“That’s just a typical way of doing business in government,” said Commissioner Ronnie Cowan.
Interim County Manager Jarvis Sims said nonprofits had a deadline for requesting appropriations of county funds in the 2023 budget.
Historical Committee director Terri James later said she had not known about the deadline and did not apply.
She said she planned to meet with Covington officials about possible funding for the June 19 parade event celebrating the Juneteenth holiday.
In other action, commissioners approved the acceptance of a gift of a former Georgia Forestry Commission building that could lead to establishment of a new west Newton fire station.
The Board approved the request from Fire Chief Mike Conner for acceptance of the Forestry Commission’s donation of a building at 2707 Access Road near the Rockdale County line.
Conner said about $2.5 million will be needed to renovate the building — which has three truck bays and formerly was used by Georgia Forestry for forest fire protection.
A new station is needed in the area to help lower its ISO rating that is used to determine nearby residents’ fire insurance rates, he said.
A lower-numbered rating typically means lower insurance rates because of the proximity of a fire station and other factors.
Conner said he hoped the funding could be included in the 2023 SPLOST voters will see on their November ballots.
Commissioners also voted to approve Newton County Fire Services’ request to use $1.6 million from its Fire Fund to buy an aerial fire truck.
Conner told commissioners that the department does not have a truck capable of fighting fires at large industrial buildings such as those in the Stanton Springs South business park.
“We have to call Monroe (fire department),” he said.
Conner said when fire services responded to a fire call at Takeda Pharmaceuticals in recent years, it could not easily access the location of the blaze.
Conner also told commissioners approval was needed as soon as possible so his department could place its order for the specialized truck before an 8% price increase goes into effect.
